Bread package and wrapper



June 4, 1963 M. D. SMITH BREAD PACKAGE AND WRAPPER Filed May 9, 1960 INVENTOR. MAURICE D. SMITH United tates 3,9Z,5Z Patented June 4, 1963 time 3,092,562 BREAD PACKAGE AND WRAPPER Maurice D. Smith, Dallas, Tex, assignor to St. Regis Paper (Iompany, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 9, 196i), Ser. No. 27,736 6 Claims. ((11. 99--172) This invention relates to a novel composite method of wrapping or packaging and to the resulting packaged articles.

More particularly, the present invention relates to the wrapping of elongated articles of food which are adapted to be progressively partially consumed, such as bread loaves.

It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a novel wrapping for articles of the foregoing class which may be reclosed after removal of a portion of the consumed contents.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a reclosable package of the foregoing class, which as originally wrapped has a transparent portion through which the contents are clearly visible for display purposes.

It is known to wrap loaves of bread and the like in waxed paper wrappers which are sealed in a longitudinal overlap and endwise folded and sealed. After the package is endwise opened and some of the bread slices are removed, the package may be reclosed by the consumer to an extent adequate for domestic purposes by folding and hand-crushing the now unfilled end portion of the wrapper. However, such waxed paper wrappers are generally substantially opaque, and even the so-called transparent wax papers are not fully or adequately transparent for modern display purposes by the vendor.

On the other hand, while fully transparent wrappers are known and employed, such as of polyethylene, Pliofilm (rubber hydrochloride), cellophane and the like heat-scalable film materials, these alone are not readily crushable to form a satisfactory domestic closure after a portion of the contents is removed.

The present invention relates to the provision of a composite wrapper which has the dual features of transparency and reclosable crushability. To this end I employ both opaque waxed paper and transparent synthetic film material, in an arrangement distinguished from window packaging and distinguished from dual wrappings.

Thus in accordance with the present invention there is supplied and brought together to a bread wrapping machine, a pair of webs, one of transparent heat-scalable plastic sheet material and the other an opaque wax paper of equal length and lesser width than the former, one longitudinal edge of said waxed sheet extending approximately to one longitudinal edge of the transparent sheet, the opposed longitudinal edge portion of the waxed sheet being appreciably spaced from the adjacent longitudinal edge of the latter, as will be hereinafter explained.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention and the economies thereof will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from one end of a loaf of bread Wrapped in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wrapped loaf of FIG. 1 viewed from the opposite end.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a loaf of bread wrapped in accordance with the present invention but after removal of a part of the contents and an opened end of the wrapper crushed for reclosing.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of a loaf of bread wrapped in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective View of rolls of transparent film 2 and waxed paper being brought together before entering a wrapping machine.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates a web of transparent heat-scalable sheet material of the class hereinbefore described drawn from supply roll 11 under guide roll 12, and web 13 of opaque waxed paper of lesser width drawn from supply roll 14 and under roll 15 where it comes together with transparent web 10 for joint passage to a conventional bread wrapping machine, not shown.

In their joint passage, the inner spaced edge portion 18 of waxed sheet 13 may be secured to sheet 10* by conventional heator other sealing means. In wrapping, the two components 10 and 13- are handled jointly as a composition unit, as in for example a bread wrapping machine where individual length wrappers are cut oif from the superimposed webs 10 and 13 as at 16 and jointly wrapped about an elongated article such as the sliced loaf of bread 17.

In wrapping a loaf of bread 17, the waxed sheet 13 is disposed innermost with its edge portion 18 extending transversely of the loaf. The transverse edges of the sheets 19 and 13 are jointly overlapped and heat-sealed at the bottom of the loaf in usual manner as at 19, whereat webs 10 and 13 also become sealed together. The longitudinal end portions of the enveloping wrappers 10 and 13 jointly project beyond the ends of the loaf 17 at one end, whereas at web 10 alone projects beyond the other end. These end portions are then folded and heat-sealed in conventional manner by conventional apparatus. End seals 20 and 21 are also generally applied and heat-sealed thereover.

In the described arrangement the underlying waxed paper web 13 extends from and within one end, as at the one having the end seal 20, to from about two-thirds to about three-fourths the length of the loaf, leaving a remaining short length through which the bread loaf 17 is visible, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. This partial exposure of the loaf is adequate for sales display pur-' poses and protection so long as both ends remain sealed as originally packaged.

After purchase and use by the consumer, where it is generally customary to consume less than the entire loaf, the package when opened at the end 21 and when, say, half of the bread slices 17 are removed, the package may be readily reclosed by crushing together the empty tubular portion of the package, as shown for example in FIG. 3. It will here be noted that the remaining portion of the bread slices now remain wrapped in the dual web portion of the wrapper, and the front or previously opened end of the wrapper has a better tendency to remain closed due to projection thereinto of the wax paper in combination with the transparent sheet material, as distinguished from what the case would be if the entire wrapper were only of transparent film material.

The sealing of the wax paper 13 to the transparent film it at least on the bottom Where the edges'overlap, further aids in this crushing of the joint wrappers, in that the two are held together better than would be the case if they were not joined, so as to improve the reclosing effect.

I claim:

1. Packaging material composed of a rectangular sheet of transparent heat-scalable material and a superimposed sheet of opaque waxed paper of equal length and lesser width than the former, one longitudinal edge of said waxed sheet extending substantially to one longitudinal edge of the transparent sheet and the opposed longitudinal edge portion of the waxed sheet being appreciably spaced from the other longitudinal edge of the transparent sheet, said composite sheet being adapted to be wrapped about an elongated article with said waxed sheet adjacent to and the transparent sheet exteriorly thereof, with said spaced edge portion of the wax paper extending transversely of the article intermediate its ends, and with the longitudinal edge portion of the transparent heat-scalable sheet projecting beyond one end of the elongated article and folded and sealed thereat, the lon gitudinal edge portion of the composite sheet projecting beyond the opposite end of the elongated article and folded and sealed thereat, whereby when one end of the transparent sheet has been opened and a portion of the elongated article, extending into the waxpaper portion has been removed therefrom, the end of the transparent sheet can be crushed to a closed position and there remain due to the projection of the waxed paper into the transparent sheet.

2. A bread wrap composed of a web of transparent heat-scalable sheet material and a combined web of opaque waxed paper of equal length and of lesser width than the former, one longitudinal edge of said waxed sheet extending approximately to one longitudinal edge of the transparent sheet and the opposed longitudinal edge portion of the waxed sheet being spaced from the other longitudinal edge of the transparent sheet, said combined sheets being adapted to be wrapped about a loaf of bread with said waxed sheet disposed inwardly and extending over from about two-thirds to about three fourths of the length of the loaf, with its said spaced edge portion extending transversely of and spaced from one end of the loaf, and with the longitudinal edge portion of the transparent sheet projecting beyond one end of the loaf of bread and folded and sealed thereat, the longitudinal edge portion of the combined sheets projecting beyond the opposite end of the loaf of bread and folded and sealed thereat, whereby when one end of the transparent sheet has been opened and a portion of the loaf of bread, extending into the waxpaper portion has been removed therefrom, the end of the transparent sheet can be crushed to a closed position and there remain due to the projection of the waxed paper into the transparent sheet.

3. A loaf of bread wrapped in an outermost rectanguparent sheet, said sheets being jointly wrapped about the loaf of bread with said waxed sheet adjacent to and the transparent sheet exteriorly thereof and with said spaced edge portion of the waxed paper extending transversely of and spaced from one end of the bread loaf, the longitudinal edge portion of the transparent sheet projecting beyond one end of the loaf of bread and folded and sealed thereat, the longitudinal edge portion of the combined sheets projecting beyond the opposite end of the loaf of bread and folded and sealed thereat, whereby when one end of the transparent sheet has been opened and a portion of the loaf of bread, extending into 'the waxpaper portion has been removed therefrom, the end of the transparent sheet can be crushed to a closed position and there remain due to the projection of the waxed paper into the transparent sheet.

4. A bread loaf wrapped in a rectangular sheet of transparent heat-scalable sheet material fully enclosing said loaf and an innermost web of opaque imprinted waxed paper of equal length and of lesser width than the former enclosing one end and extending over from about two-thirds to about three-fourths of the length of the loaf, one longitudinal edge of said waxed sheet being substantially coterminous with one longitudinal edge of the transparent sheet and the opposed longitudinal edge portion of the waxed sheet being spaced from the other edge of said transparent sheet, said sheets being jointly wrapped about the loaf of bread with said spaced edge portion of the waxed paper extending transversely of the bread loaf, and the transverse edges of both sheets i being overlapped and sealed together at the bottom of paper into the transparent sheet.

5. An elongated article of food encased in a rectangular sheet of transparent heat-sealable sheet material and an inwardly disposed web of opaque waxed paper of equal length and lesser width than the former, one longitudinal edge of said Waxedrsheet .being substantially I coterrninous with'one longitudinal edge of the transparent sheet, the opposed longitudinal edge portion of the waxed sheet being spaced from the other edge of said transparent sheet, said sheets being wrapped about said article with said spaced edge portion of the wax paper extending transversely of the article, longitudinal edge portions of the transparent sheet projecting beyond the ends ofthe article and folded and sealed thereat, the wax paper extending into and jointly sealed in only one sealed end portion, whereby when one end of the transparent sheet has been opened and a portion of the food article,

extending into the waxpaper portion has been removed therefrom, the end of the transparent sheet can be crushed to a closed position and there remain due to the h projection ofthe wax paper into the transparent sheet.

6. A bread loaf wrapped in a sheet of transparent heatsealable plastic sheet material and an inwardly disposed web of opaque waxed paper of equal length and lesser width, one longitudinal edge portion of said waxed sheet extending approximately to one longitudinal edge portion of the transparent sheet and folded and sealed therewith at one end of the loaf, the opposed longitudinal edge portion ofthe waxed sheet being spaced from the other end of the loaf, the transparent sheet alone being folded against and sealed at the latter end of the loaf, whereby an end portion only of the wrapped loaf is visible through said transparent sheet, and when the end portion of the transparent sheet has been opened and a portion of the bread, extending into the waxpaper portion has been removed therefrom, the end portion of the transparent sheetcan be crushed to a closed position and there remain due to the projection of the Waxed paper into the transparent sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES 5lifefrigerating Engineering, February 1954, pages 

3. A LOAF OF BREAD WRAPPED IN AN OUTERMOST RECTANGULAR SHEET OF TRANSPARENT HEAT-SEALABLE SHEET MATERIAL AND AN INNERMOST WEB OF OPAQUE WAX PAPER OF EQUAL LENGTH AND LESSER WIDTH THAN THE FORMER, ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID WAXED SHEET EXTENDING TO APPROXIMATELY ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF THE TRANSPARENT SHEET AND THE OPPOSED LONGITUDINAL EDGE PORTION OF THE WAXED SHEET BEING SPACED FROM THE OTHER LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF THE TRANSPARENT SHEET, SAID SHEETS BEING JOINTLY WRAPPED ABOUT THE LOAF OF BREAD WITH SAID WAXED SHEET ADJACENT TO AND THE TRANSPARENT SHEET EXTERIORLY THEREOF AND WITH SAID SPACED EDGE PORTION OF THE WAXED PAPER EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE SPACED FROM ONE END OF THE BREAD LOAF, THE LONGITUDINAL EDGE PORTION OF THE TRANSPARENT SHEET PROJECTING BEYOND ONE END OF THE LOAF OF BREAD AND FOLDED THE SEALED THEREAT, THE LONGITIDUNAL EDGE PORTION OF THE COMBINED SHEETS PROJECTING BEYOND THE OPPOSITE END OF THE LOAF OF BREAD AND FOLDED AND SEALED THEREAT, WHEREBY WHEN ONE END OF THE TRANSPARENT SHEET HAS BEEN OPENED AND A PORTION OF THE LOAF OF BREAD, EXTENDING INTO THE WAXPAPER PORTION WAS BEEN REMOVED THEREFROM, THE END OF THE TRANSPARENT SHEET CAN BE CRUSHED TO A CLOSED POSITION AND THERE REMAIN DUE TO THE PROJECTION OF THE WAXED PAPER INTO THE TRANSPARENT SHEET. 